


Make Him Squirm

by Kyra_Bane



Series: Kinktober 2020 [The Old Guard] [18]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Actually Lighthearted, Blow Jobs, F/M, Flirting, Kinktober, Kinktober 2020, Slow Romance, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:48:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28394145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyra_Bane/pseuds/Kyra_Bane
Summary: Five times Nile flirted with other people and one time Booker flirted with her.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nile Freeman, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: Kinktober 2020 [The Old Guard] [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930153
Comments: 8
Kudos: 136





	Make Him Squirm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [highlightcity_159](https://archiveofourown.org/users/highlightcity_159/gifts).



> heyyyyyy so i am very much alive and uh i've been sitting on this fic since mid-november because i wrote it in the full throes of nano, thought it was terrible (i think not having seen strangers in like eight months was getting to me lol) and finally built up the urge to revisit it and... i like it?
> 
> so yes enjoy this one, enjoy the next one i'm going to dump in the next 30 mins or so and here's to me completing kinktober in 2021 😅
> 
> and also, highlightcity159 - thank you v v much for this prompt (booker going red whenever nile gets her flirt on), may not be 100% on track but ohhh it was fun to write!

**5\. Nicky**

Nile’s given up on trying to get Joe to teach her Arabic. 

For one thing, he likes to go into the _history_ of it all – which is great, she’s not going to say it isn’t! – but it’s not always especially useful when she can just about manage a hello, goodbye, and my name is… whatever she’s using at the time. 

And if it’s not history, then he’s teaching her the most flowery, romantic pick-up lines, which again, not super useful for where she’s at right now. 

So, she’s gone to Nicky instead. She cornered him one lazy day and didn’t have to say more than, “So, I asked Joe to teach me Arabic…” before he was sitting her down in a corner, and within an hour she had a better grasp of the language than she’d managed in two weeks with Joe. 

He’s teaching her Italian now, too. 

In exchange, she’s explained to him maybe five times what a meme is (he kind of gets it but not, like, in his _soul_ ), and he comes to her at least twice a week with some new iteration of American slang. She’s tried explaining she’s not exactly current anymore – they’ve been back to the US a handful of times in the past few decades – but yeah, she does usually have a better idea of it than he does. 

Today, he’s come with a pick-up line. Or not even a pick-up line. And not the ones they’re using nowadays. 

“Nile, what is this meme about someone’s parents being out?” 

Nile snickers. “It’s for, hm, teens I guess, or a bit older. At least it was, I don’t think it’s used that much anymore.” 

She’s sitting out at the back of this house they’re renting with Booker. He’s been back with them a while now, since Quynh’s return, since Andy got her immortality back. None of them know why that happened but they took it as a good sign – and accepted him back, too. Andy brought Quynh around, in the end. 

Now, he raises an eyebrow at her as Nicky sits down on her left. 

“Not a good one to use on Joe then,” he says, and laughs. 

“Not really. Can’t you just use some of those phrases he taught me?” 

He rolls his eyes. “Please. Joe made most of those up to use on _me_ a long, long time ago. Plus, he has a memory like an elephant. He will know if I am saying something he said to me.” 

He sounds like he’s speaking from experience and Nile grins. Booker looks between them. 

“Surely you don’t need Nile’s help to flirt with Joe?” he asks. There’s the slightest hesitation before he speaks, but Nicky has always been open with him, gives him his full attention when he speaks. Nile thinks Nicky blames himself for what happened, in some small way, but she trusts Joe talks sense to him about that. 

Nicky shrugs. “I do not _need_ it, no,” he admits, “But it is nice to shake things up once in a while.” 

He looks a little hesitant, too. Nile wonders about that; she’s never asked what they all said to each other and, even though she’s been the one in most contact with Booker since his exile, she’s never pried with him, either. She didn’t really want to wade into the middle of it before and now… too much time has passed. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Booker says, and looks at Nile before he smiles, looking away. 

When Nile looks at Nicky, he’s watching Booker with a speculative expression. He feels her eyes on him and smiles. “So?” 

Nile groans. “I think I’m kind of out of practice,” she says. “Netflix and chill is evergreen.” 

Nicky snorts. “You were not out of practice last week in Prague,” he says. 

“That was different. I wasn’t trying hard.” She’s acutely aware that Booker’s turned back to the conversation. He’s not been on a mission with them yet; in fact, Prague was just her, Nicky, and Joe. She had to flirt her way out of a relatively dangerous situation, granted, but she hadn’t been thinking about the flirting at the time. 

More the danger inherent in their itchy trigger fingers. 

“You have to try hard?” Booker asks and he smirks when she looks at him. 

“You tell him, then,” Nile retorts. “You’re French! You should be able to flirt.” 

Booker shrugs. It’s very French of him. “He’s Italian.” 

Nicky tilts his head from side to side. “Technically speaking…” 

Nile’s pretty sure she and Booker roll their eyes in unison that that. _Technically speaking…_ That’s the one phrase she wishes she’d never taught him. 

“Alright. Honestly, you’re both useless.” She sighs and takes out her cell phone, does a quick Google and then sighs, again, at the first result. 

Whatever. Nicky’ll make it work – it’s not as if Joe’s going to turn him down. 

“Ask to borrow his lips,” she says. Behind her, Booker laughs. It’s a full belly laugh, head tossed back and Nile looks at him incredulously. 

“Again,” she says, “Do you have anything better?” 

“Better than that?” 

Nile turns fully toward him, looking him full in the face. “Yes.” 

“How would that ever work?” he asks. 

It’s Nile’s turn to smirk. They’re sitting in two chairs, side by side, and when she leans into his space, she hears his sharp inhale. She’s still looking him in the eyes and she drops her gaze, slowly, deliberately, down to his lips. 

He’s got a nice mouth, she thinks distantly, eminently kissable, but she drags her eyes back up again and suppresses the urge to smile at the pink in his cheeks. 

“Can I borrow your lips?” she asks, slightly breathless – and it’s not all put on – and then bites her lower lip, gently. 

Booker makes a quiet noise and now he’s looking at her mouth and she’s not really thought about this before but right now, she can’t for the life of her remember why not. 

Nicky chuckles. “I think that’s a winner, Nile,” he says. 

**4\. For a mission**

A year or so later, and Booker is back in the game with them. He’s improved his IT skills even more in his time away, which means Nile’s glad to hand all those duties back to him – and also means he’s paired with her on this part of their mission; they’re just trying to find out where the guy they’re after is staying. 

More specifically, _which_ room he’s staying in, only this is a high-class hotel and even Book’s having trouble accessing the network from outside. 

They’re sitting in the lobby now, Booker pretending like he’s reading something on his tablet, Nile sipping a cocktail opposite him. They’ve been trying just to keep an eye out for him, but either he hasn’t come through the lobby or he’s not here at all. 

“I could just ask,” Nile says again. She’s dressed up – this is a classy place – and she likes her odds with the guy on the front desk. Everything about this place is professional as hell, of course, but he’s a little younger than the receptionist they had in yesterday and he’s looking harried after a run-in with a woman Nile heard shouting about her towels. 

“If you distract him, I can hack it.” 

“Not in time, you can’t.” Booker looks at her and she shrugs. “Doesn’t hurt to try.” 

He sets his tablet aside and nods. “Fine,” he says. “But keep the earwig in at all times. If things start to go south, I want to know.” 

“Of course,” Nile says and it’s a testament to the last few years that she doesn’t – even internally – roll her eyes at his pushing. Things have gone wrong surprisingly often. 

She waits until she sees the receptionist’s shoulders slump a little, a sure sign that he thinks no one is watching him, before she gets to her feet and crosses the lobby. She’s wearing a knee-length mint green dress, shoes to match, and when he notices her coming, he swallows. 

He’s standing back upright in an instant; Nile has no idea about what kind of rigorous training the staff at this hotel are put through, but she recognises that they do _something._

“Hi,” she says, laying on her accent really thick. It doesn’t always work but she sees the way his expression shifts and, well, she supposes it doesn’t matter if he’s into her voice. He’s just got to be into her. “I was wondering if you could do me a favour?” 

“Uh, yes, of course.” 

“I was supposed to be meeting someone here. It’s kind of… discreet, you know? But I’m not sure if he said this hotel or another one and I don’t really want to call and ask…” 

He’s frowning now and Nile smiles, leans in a little closer. “He’s here with his wife,” she whispers and suddenly the receptionist is nodding again. 

“Oh, I see,” he says, like he’s told that all the time, which, looking around, Nile thinks is probably true. 

She smiles again, looking at him from under her lashes when she says, “So do you mind just checking? I’m supposed to meet him in an hour but he doesn’t exactly want to come down to the lobby.” 

The receptionist shakes his head. “I really can’t. I’d get into so much trouble.” 

Nile raises her eyebrows and leans forward, resting against the counter. “Oh, come on,” she says and lets her smile curl across her face. “You think I’m going to tell anyone?” 

“But won’t his wife be up there?” 

“He said she’d be out,” Nile replies, shrugging one shoulder. “Please? You’d be doing me a big favour.” She’s toying with her necklace now and his eyes are following the moment, even as he’s trying to fight it. Nile just watches him, her smile soft, and when he realises he’s been caught, he blushes. 

“Um, I…” He looks around furtively and Nile just can’t _wait_ to hold this win over Booker. “What’s his name?” 

“Vincent Anderson,” Nile says. 

He types it into the computer, looks around again, and then sighs before he says, “Five forty-five. You should be able to take the elevator up.” 

Nile smiles at him again. “You are a literal lifesaver,” she says because hey, he could be. “Thank you so much!” 

“Just, please don’t…” 

“Of course not,” Nile says, winking. “It’s our little secret, right?” 

He blushes again and Nile makes her way purposefully over to the elevators. She asks for the fifth floor and Booker catches up, making the bellhop frown when he all but leaps inside. Still, he mutters away in French, already on a call with Nicky and Joe, and the bellhop sighs, presses for the seventh floor when Booker insists. 

Nile steps out first, and makes sure to walk past 545 as she makes her way out to the service stairs. Booker meets her in the stairwell. 

“Well?” she says. 

“Good work. I’m not sure you had to be so…” 

Nile raises one eyebrow, resting her hip against the railing. “So _what,_ exactly?” 

Booker shrugs. He won’t quite look her in the eyes and she smiles when she thinks of the way he’s reacted to her flirting before. 

“Come on,” she says, deciding to go easy on him. “Let’s meet back up with the others. Now we know where this guy is, and all.” 

**3\. With a (very lovely) barista**

Nile likes coffee. 

Not necessarily _good_ coffee, much to Nicky’s chagrin – though, of course, it’s not as though she doesn’t enjoy a really nice cup. 

She just likes pretty much any coffee, no matter how crappy, and so when they hunker down in a city for a few weeks or months, she seeks out one place she likes and then frequents it fairly often. 

Andy doesn’t like that much; she says it means there’s more chance Nile will be recognised. Nile doesn’t mention it most of the time – she knows that Nicky and Joe always find themselves a cute little café to go on dates to. 

She and Booker are in Barcelona. They’ve all split up, Andy and Quynh heading toward South Africa, Nicky and Joe for Thailand, and she and Booker are here. 

The last job didn’t go wrong, not exactly, but it did bring a lot of heat down on them, and it’s best to try and mitigate the damage. Now that there’s six of them again – despite all that trouble with Quynh at the beginning, and then all the chaos when Andy’s immortality suddenly returned – they always split in pairs, though it’s been a while since it’s been like this. 

Last time, Nile spent three weeks shacked up with Quynh in some cabin in Alaska and she’d like to never repeat that experience, thanks. Quynh gets real weird when she gets bored. 

So, Barcelona with Booker is more than a step up; especially since Nile knows she’s got a crush on him (maybe more) and so she _wants_ to be around him more than the others, at least some of the time. 

She found her favourite coffee place when she went for a run on the first morning. It’s cute and almost hidden away and they very fiercely speak Catalan to her, not Spanish, which she both respects and finds to be useful practice. After the first morning, when Booker eyes her coffee with suspicion, she starts bringing him one back, too. 

The first two weeks are just learning the lay of the land. She goes out in the mornings, Booker spends a lot of the afternoon wandering, and then they get dinner together late in the evening, dinners that almost always seem to go on too long. After those two weeks, Booker still doesn’t get up to run with her, but she does join him in the afternoon, and they spend some time at the beach, Nile doing her best to soak up what’s left of the late summer sun. 

One afternoon, they pass her little coffee shop and, inside, the barista spots Nile and waves. Booker stops. 

“You know her?” 

Nile points at the sign. “It’s where I get our coffee. You want anything?” 

He shrugs, which means he does, and so Nile leads him inside, greeting Amara with a warm smile. 

She’s cute – obviously much younger than Nile because almost everyone is now – and in her early twenties, desperate to get out of Barcelona and explore the rest of the world, as far as she’s told Nile. Nile sits at the counter sometimes, to talk to her, and she knows they’ve both been flirting with each other but she doesn’t see any harm in that. 

“Good day?” she asks as Booker scans the menu next to her. 

“Better now you’re here,” Amara replies with a wink. “Same as usual?” 

Nile nods. Amara looks to Booker. “Does he want the same too, or…?” 

They can both speak Catalan, of course, though Nile doesn’t blame Amara for thinking Booker might not. There are plenty of people around who don’t, and Booker is still staring up at the menu. 

Nile elbows him in the side. “What do you want?” 

“Whatever you usually get me,” he replies. He’s stopped drinking as much now and Nile knows he’s not into coffee the same way as she is, either. He drinks it when she asks if he wants it but sometimes she wonders if that’s out of obligation. 

“So, it’s been busy?” 

Amara’s started on their orders, the machines hissing, but she still always hears Nile and it’s no different today. Booker leans against the counter as they talk. 

“Not so much, today. Summer’s ending so we’re never as busy when the tourists start to clear out. It’ll pick up again in winter.” 

Nile hums. She doesn’t know if they’ll be there then, of course, so she doesn’t comment on that. She’d like to stay a few months but that’s all dependent on whether or not they’re going to be hunted down. 

“Well, at least you get to see my pretty face every day,” she jokes and Amara laughs. 

“Hmm, I’m not sure how I managed before you arrived,” she replies. She finishes up their drinks and sets them on the counter as she deals with the cash register. 

“Pfft, I take up so much of your time all the other patrons can’t flirt with you instead.” Amara rolls her eyes. 

“They’re annoying.” 

“And I’m not?” 

“Of course not,” Amara says. She points at the card reader and Nile pays. “You think I can’t deal with someone I don’t want to talk to?” 

Booker reaches past Nile and picks up his drink. Nile waits until he’s got it to his lips, letting her smile widen. 

“Oh, I think you can deal with anyone you’d like to,” she all but purrs and when Booker almost spits out his drink, Amara laughs. 

“Enjoy your day,” she says with a wink and Nile steers Booker back out of the café. He’s blushing just a little, which is cute, and Nile wonders what it would be like to flirt with him like that – but she feels like the brazen approach isn’t quite what she’s after. 

“You and she are…?” 

“Book, you see me go into my room every night and you see me come back from my run every morning. When do you think I’m managing to meet up with her?” 

He shrugs. “I’m not around all the time,” he says. “And it would be normal for you to…” 

Nile hits him on the arm. “I know,” she says. “If I want to, I will. But it’s fine, we just flirt a little, that’s all.” 

Booker hums, and smiles, and they spend the rest of the day exploring the city together. 

**2\. Quynh**

Once she’s done trying to kill them all, it turns out that Quynh is an incorrigible flirt. It borders on almost inappropriate sometimes, since Joe and Nicky are still mad at her – hell, they all are, after what she did to Booker – but over time, they all soften again and it’s just one of the ways she communicates with them. 

After the first few years, though, Nile notices that she really only directs her flirting at her and Nicky. 

Well, she flirts with Andy of course, but Nile counts that the same way she counts Nicky flirting with Joe: they’re together, so it’s just part and parcel of their relationship. 

But Booker clams up when she does it to him, so she stopped pretty early on, and Joe was so cold with her for so long that Nile thinks even Quynh noticed. 

Still, she enjoys calling Nile sweetheart when Nile passes her coffee, strokes her fingers over Nile’s shoulders when she’s sitting on the couch, and maybe she doesn’t go _quite_ that far with Nicky, not that Joe seems to mind much now she’s not directing that particular energy at him, but Nile doesn’t really mind it. 

It’s the same way Andy’s the first to spar with her, or Joe will settle next to her and help her when she’s painting, or Nicky will hug her after any particularly brutal missions, or Booker will… 

Booker. 

Anyway. It’s just how they are. 

It’s fine. 

It’s bothering Booker. 

It’s bothering Booker and Nile doesn’t know whether she finds it funny or annoying, because on the one hand she’s been teasing him by flirting with anyone but him for _years_ and on the other he’s never made a move, either, so what right does he have to be bothered about it? 

Still, she’s more careful when he’s around, which sharp-eyed Quynh has definitely noticed because she always turns it up, instead. 

Like today. They’ve been sitting watching TV, both curled up on the small couch, but when Booker walks in, Quynh throws an arm around Nile’s shoulders, resting her head on her arm. 

“What are you doing?” Nile hisses, quietly enough that Booker doesn’t seem to hear. 

Quynh just winks at her in return. 

Booker takes the seat by them and frowns at the screen. 

“What is this?” 

“An old romantic comedy,” Nile replies. “Quynh said she hadn’t seen it, but I have, it’s good.” 

He nods and the frown disappears. Quynh’s moved her hand to the back of Nile’s neck and this is definitely different flirting than she’s used to. 

“Is Andy really not bothered by all… that?” Booker asks suddenly and Nile almost startles. 

Quynh sits up and shrugs. “Why would she be?” she says. “She knows that she can trust me.” 

“But you’re…” 

“It also does not bother her to see me flirt.” Quynh’s smile is sharp. “You are not young anymore, Booker. You really still get jealous?” 

Booker goes red. “I– No, I–” 

“I do,” Nile offers and they both look at her. “Not, like, obnoxiously so, but I still _feel_ it. Some people never do.” 

Quynh nods at that, clearly in thought. “That is… fair,” she says. “Andy has never been that way. I have, but time has shown me not to worry.” 

“I guess that’s the important bit. You can still be someone who gets jealous but you learn not to. Not all the time.” 

“But,” Quynh says, and she’s looking at Booker now, “It is unfair to be jealous about someone you have not staked a claim on.” 

Nile starts laughing. “Staked a claim? Come _on_ , Quynh.” 

Booker isn’t laughing and Nile doesn’t really want to look at him. They’ve never really flirted, not the way she does with anyone else, and they’ve definitely never taken it any further. He’s a good friend, probably her best friend, and she doesn’t want to risk that. 

And yes, maybe she’s felt stirrings of jealousy when she’s seen him eye someone up at a bar, or anywhere else for that matter, but she knows better than to let that feeling grow. 

Quynh snuggles in next to her again, shoving over enough that there’s a space to her left. “Come sit with us,” she says to Booker and Nile dares to look at him again. 

He’s looking back at her, of course, and she does her best not to read into his gaze. She doesn’t want to take that leap, not yet, and if he’s not going to do it either, then they’ll stay right where they are now. 

Eventually, he gets up and settles in the seat next to Quynh. Nile picks up the remote and flicks the movie back to the beginning. Quynh is resting her head on Nile’s shoulder again, but she has a hand on Booker’s forearm, is stroking her fingers over his skin. 

“I’m sure you’ll both enjoy this,” Nile says, and presses play. 

**1\. Joe**

Nicky hasn’t stopped laughing for about the last five minutes. It’s really starting to get to Booker, who’s pacing the room, while Joe and Nile just look at each other quizzically. 

“Book, it’s the only way it’s going to work,” Andy says through the phone. 

“It’s too dangerous. If they can’t take weapons in there–” 

Joe opens his mouth, presumably to say something about how his whole body’s a weapon and then waggle his eyebrows at Nicky, so Nile cuts him off by kicking him in the shin. He yelps. Nicky laughs harder. 

“Is there a way we can film this?” 

Nile rolls her eyes. “I feel like you’re insulting me.” 

“Never!” Nicky says. “Well, not entirely…” 

They suspect one of the vendors at a bridal show is involved in smuggling blood diamonds. Thing is, they’re not quite sure who – nothing from the latest Copley on that – only that there’s going to be a pickup at this show. Of course, blood diamonds seem to go hand-in-hand with bigotry, so it’s down to Nile, as the only woman, to pair with Joe, because he’s the only one of them with a plausible identity around here, to pretend they’ll be getting married soon and are looking for vendors for their wedding. 

Nicky thinks it’s hilarious. Booker is kind of pissed. Joe doesn’t seem to mind much. 

Nile is just really, really glad she’s not going with Booker. They’re going to need to play this _up_ and although she trusts him entirely, it’s going to be far easier to do this with Joe than a guy she might already have fallen head over heels for. 

Honestly, that might be why Andy’s insisted on Joe going, anyway. 

“What’s the plan, boss?” Nile asks and the other three finally go quiet. 

She and Quynh are off taking a much-needed vacation, by which Nile means she’s sure they’re up to _something_ , but they’re interspersing it with trips to the beach, so no one can complain all that much. 

“Just go around and ask questions. No, you won’t be able to take weapons in, but that’s not a huge concern. All you have to do is narrow down our list of suspects. Quynh and I will be there tomorrow and we’ll work on everything properly then.” 

“Are we even going to be able to hear them?” 

Nicky nods. “Booker, it will be fine. We have the equipment, you know that. We won’t lose them.” His voice has gone gentle, serious – he finds it funny, of course, but he isn’t about to risk either of them. 

None of them would risk each other, not anymore. Nile knows that like she knows the earth is round. 

“Alright,” she says. She looks at Joe. “God, if these people are all that traditional, I bet I’m taking your name, huh?” 

He grins at her. “Why would you not?” 

*** 

The main issue with all these parties they have to crash and events they have to sneak into is that Nile’s clothes are always completely impractical for her job. Joe’s had to stop her tugging at her dress twice and she thinks, absently, that she should be used to wearing stuff like this now, but really these events make up such a small part of her life. 

He, of course, looks incredible, wearing an expensive suit that fits like he was poured into it. The engagement ring they gave Nile – well, that Joe got onto one knee and gave Nile, while she rolled her eyes, snatched it out of his hands, and did her best not to look at Booker – is the most ostentatious thing she’s ever seen, but they’re going to do the rounds to see if they can get it ‘replaced’ anyway. She’s wearing a skin-tight, dark violet dress, and is just happy they shouldn’t have to fight anyone off today. 

They pass through a metal detector at the entrance and when one of the guards eyes Nile a little too long, Joe is suddenly at her side, his arm around her waist. “Nearly there, mi amor,” he says, shooting a glare at the guard. This is the most expensive bridal fair in the world, apparently. “I cannot wait to marry you.” 

Nile giggles, kissing his cheek. The guards look bored again now, waving them through into a huge hall. 

“Already having to play it up?” Booker says in their ears. 

Nile smiles at Joe. He’s got a wicked glint in his eye and she rolls hers. He knows how she feels about Book, naturally. So does Nicky – and so does Quynh and, Nile suspects, Andy. It’s not that she’s ever _told_ them; they just know. And they’re all understanding of why she’s not willing to push. 

“We will find you the most beautiful ring money can buy,” Joe all but announces, pulling her closer. She bumps into his chest and turns her face up to his. People are watching them but no one here looks annoyed – or, importantly, like they’ve perked up at the mention of a ring. “The most beautiful jewel for my beautiful jewel.” 

He doesn’t kiss her, because she flings her arms around his neck when Nicky starts laughing in her ear. They really have to talk at some stage about turning the mics off. 

“Where are we going first?” Nile asks when they part and Joe leads her down one of the aisles. 

They spend the next few hours looking at flower arrangements, tasting tiny bites of cake, and being outrageously lovey-dovey all the while. Maybe it’s a bit mean, Nile thinks, but it is also making this day a lot more fun – they’ve seen five ring vendors so far and none seem to be the one they’re after. 

Until they reach the sixth. She’s an older woman, petite, with her hair piled up on her head. She eyes the rock on Nile’s hand and purses her lips. 

“What is it you’re looking for?” she asks, only addressing Joe, and Nile frowns. For all this has been a ‘traditional’ event – and that’s not wrong, she’s not seen a single non-heteronormative couple in this place – the vendors have always been careful to include both of them, turning the bulk of their attention on whoever seems most interested. 

In other words, good salespeople. This woman is not that. 

“Ah, I am afraid I chose the wrong ring for my fiancée,” Joe says, an air of apology around his tone. “I wanted something to match her beauty but I believe I overstepped into ostentatious.” 

Nile takes her cue from the woman – this isn’t the time for her to joke. Whether or not she’s seen evidence of it at the rest of the fair, this vendor is not interested in what Nile has to say, so she just shakes her head and says demurely, “It’s perfect honey, really…” 

Joe doesn’t miss a beat. “No, no! I know she would never say it, of course…” He’s leaning in toward the vendor, laying the charm on thick, but Nile can tell it’s working, even as she keeps her eyes downcast. “But it is important I have the right ring. You would understand that, of course.” 

“Of course,” the woman replies and when Nile darts her gaze up, there’s a smile tugging at her lips. 

She pulls out a brochure first, which Joe flicks through, reaching out to tug Nile to his side. “Tell me if you see one you like, my love.” 

Nile’s fiddling with the one on her finger. “I _do_ like this one,” she says, careful to keep her tone gentle, and Joe smiles at her. 

“My sweet girl,” he says, and pulls her in at the waist before he turns to look at the woman again. “You see how I have such trouble choosing something that is just right?” 

“We do have some other examples,” the woman says, and glances around only once before she pulls a tray from under the counter. Nile thinks that if she and Joe weren’t so trained to notice it, they might have missed the look; as it is, all the warning bells are going off in Nile’s head. 

The rings on the tray are beautiful, sure, clearly custom and delicate, but Nile can’t tell off the cuff if they’re blood diamonds or not. 

Joe runs his fingers along the edges of the tray, lingering at a beauty – a diamond wrapped in the centre of a delicate gold rose. He looks at the woman. 

“May I?” 

“Of course.” 

Nile has noticed, too, the way there are suddenly four men lingering at vendors nearby, pretending to browse or chat to the people working – but she knows their attention is really on them. She slides off the ring Joe gave her this morning and holds out her hand. 

It’s a pretty good fit, though not perfect, but Nile does like the way it looks. 

“Oh,” she says, lets her voice come out a little breathless, and Joe grins at the woman. 

“Perfect,” he replies. “We will, of course, need it resizing.” 

“Of course.” She takes Nile’s hand, albeit gently, and slips off the ring, doing a quick measurement. “Yes, we should be able to have it ready for you in a few days. If you leave your information and a deposit…” 

Nile puts the other ring back on and steps back as Joe deals with the payment and leaving his contact details. The phone number will put them through to him, but via Copley, so everything should be traceable. 

The men have relaxed somewhat now that the woman has put the tray away; two have wandered off, though the others are still paying attention – though she thinks more to Joe than her. He turns back to her a few minutes later, putting an arm around her shoulders. 

“Come along now,” he says. 

They spend a couple more hours at the fair before leaving, just to investigate the other ring sellers, but Nile knows they’re both sure they’ve found the one they’re after. When they arrive back at the hotel room where Nicky and Booker are holed up, they’ve already started talking about a plan – all they have to do is wait for the woman or one of her associates to call. After all, the ring Joe chose is pricy; she’s definitely going to want to try and sell it. 

“Nice work,” Nicky says when they come in. Joe kisses his temple in greeting and Nile collapses onto the couch, immediately working on getting her shoes off. 

It doesn’t matter how fast they heal; wearing stilettos all day still does something to her calves, even if Quynh insists it’s psychosomatic at this point. 

Still, she struggles with them until Booker sits down next to her and nudges her shoulder. “Let me.” 

“Thank you,” she sighs and swings her legs over his lap. Joe passes her a bottle of water and she drinks from it greedily. All they had to drink in that place was champagne – presumably to get everyone drunk enough so that they’d spend more money. God, Nile hates it. 

“So, you have a plan?” Booker asks. He unbuckles one shoe and drops it to the floor before he starts working on the other. His hands are cool, soft, and it takes Nile a moment or two to nod. 

“Yeah,” she says. “We figure we can tell Andy and Quynh that we’ll just wait until they call. They shouldn’t find anything suspicious about us and if they start searching too deeply, it’ll ping Copley so he can deal with it.” 

Booker nods. He gets her other shoe off and then just rests his hands on her ankles, which she doesn’t mind all that much. 

“Good of you to keep your temper with her,” Nicky says to her and Joe laughs. 

“Yes, I did worry you might just kill her when you realised she was not at all talking to you.” 

Nile rolls her eyes. “Please, like _I’m_ the one who needs to be the centre of attention all the time.” 

Joe puts a hand over his heart exaggeratedly. “I’m wounded. We may have to call off our wedding.” 

“Like you could afford one after how much that ring cost,” Nicky butts in. “I heard you over the bug, habibi. Have you ever spent that much on a ring for me?” 

Joe’s mouth falls open. “Not you too!” He looks at Booker. “Next thing, you’ll be telling me you want a ring, as well.” 

Book holds his hands up in surrender, laughing along with them. “No, thanks. Besides, as if you’d even pick one I liked.” 

“Hmm, you’re right.” Joe points at the ring Nile’s still wearing. She really does like it, for all that it’s kind of big and impractical. The rose is delicate, expensive, but this one is a bold expression for someone who might otherwise keep it to themselves. “You did choose that one, after all.” 

Nile looks at him. “You did?” 

Booker shrugs. “It was that or spend three more hours in the store with Joe as he tried _not_ to choose another ring for Nicky. You want one, you’ve just got to take him there.” 

Nicky grins and kisses the underside of Joe’s jaw. “I know.” 

They keep chatting but Nile can’t stop looking at Booker, can’t ignore the weight of his hand on her. He chose it? 

She doesn’t know why she’s so surprised. 

**+1. Booker**

Santorini is quiet this time of year. It’s she and Booker on the run, again, though Joe and Nicky have sent word that the traffickers seem to be on their tail and no, they’ve got it handled, everyone should just stay where they are and when it’s all clear, they’ll be back in touch. 

Nile doesn’t like it. She takes to running twice a day – once in the morning, once in the evening, as she puzzles through where they might have gone. South America, maybe. They were dealing with the traffickers in China, so it’s pretty far, but could have left a more obvious trail. 

Andy and Quynh are in Scotland, she knows that. It’s January. Nile can’t imagine either of them are enjoying it that much. 

Booker hasn’t said anything to her about it yet. She knows he’s worried but he does such a good job of hiding it that she’s resisting the urge to talk about it – besides, she knows he knows how she feels. 

When she gets back from her run that evening, the apartment is dark. 

Nile pulls the gun she’s hidden in a side table by the door, but it’s all clear, just empty. 

Then she sees the note lying on the kitchen counter. 

_Come to the bar around the corner. Wear something nice._

She snorts at the last line. It’s Booker’s swirling handwriting, still so neat even after however many years of using tablets and computers. Nile can hardly remember the last time she wrote something by hand. 

Still, she showers and changes. The bar is nice but she doesn’t have to wear anything too dressy, so she puts on a pair of black shorts, a flowing gold top. Her wedge sandals will do, making the whole thing look a lot nicer than it feels – it feels casual, relaxed, which is good because she’s starting to get butterflies in her stomach. 

What if Booker didn’t write the note? What if he wrote it under duress? She knows neither scenario is likely, but still she tucks a knife into the back of her shorts and makes sure it can’t be seen before she leaves the apartment. 

When she gets to the bar, she can’t see him. One of the bartenders beckons her over and she goes, a little uncertain. 

“You are Miss Freeman?” he asks and Nile instantly relaxes. She hasn’t used that name in years, not for a mission, not for anything. Decades, even. Only Booker or one of the others would know it – and it’s information they wouldn’t give away simply because it isn’t anything anyone would ask for. 

“I am.” 

He grins and puts a cocktail in front of her. It’s some kind of fruity martini and Nile raises an eyebrow. “Your friend said to give you this when you arrived. He will be back.” 

Nile nods. “Thanks,” she replies and takes the drink, sitting at an empty table in the corner of the bar. 

She sips it. There’s mango in there, so it’s sweet and fresh and she thinks that if Booker weren’t playing some kind of strange game, this would be a perfect night. 

Although, she has to admit, the game is definitely taking her mind off her worries. 

It’s several minutes – and half her drink – before a shadow falls over her. Nile looks up to see Booker standing there. He looks good, too, wearing a t-shirt so tight it stretches over his chest and shoulders, pants that cling to his thighs. Nile swallows. 

“May I sit here?” he asks, like they’re strangers and she tilts her head to one side. Is this the game they’re playing? 

“Of course,” she replies. She can take her cues from him. She’s done that before. Besides, she’s interested to see where this is going. 

“Do you often drink alone?” 

Nile resists the urge to snort. “No,” she replies. “But my friend bought me a drink and vanished, so here I am.” 

Booker smiles and it’s a different kind of smile than she’s used to. There’s something almost dark in it – nothing that worries her, just that it makes heat curl in her belly. “Lucky for me.” 

“Is it?” 

“The most beautiful woman in this room, sitting alone and nursing a drink? It gives me the opportunity to speak to you, if nothing else.” 

“And if I left?” 

He shrugs. He’s letting his accent out a little and the shrug is so _French_ she wants to laugh. “Then you would leave,” he replies. “You do not have to stay.” 

So, this is the chance for… what? A distraction? Nile is hit by a barrage of thoughts all at once – how far can this go? Does it matter? If it goes where she thinks it might, will it end once they leave the bar? At the apartment? In her bed? 

And then she realises that it doesn’t matter. She’s an adult and he might have planned this, but she has as much of a say in it as he does. 

She smiles. “I think I will, but you’d better make it worth my while.” 

“Oh, of course, ma chérie,” he replies. He waves a waiter over and orders his drink, and then turns his attention back to her. 

“What brings you to Santorini?” 

Nile licks her lips. “I’m on the run from some bad men.” 

She sees Booker’s lips twitch. “Does that make you a bad girl, or are you caught up in something terrible?” 

“Hm, it’s difficult to say,” she replies, thinking bad girl might have been a bit much, except the way he looked her over when he said it made her turn toward him even more. “A little of both, I suppose. And what about you? Business or pleasure?” 

“Always pleasure,” Booker replies. “What else is there room in life for?” 

The waiter brings over his drink and Booker thanks him, taking a sip. Nile watches the column of his throat as he swallows. Maybe this is a bad idea because the things she wants to do to him… 

“You keep looking at me as though you wish to devour me, mon coeur,” Booker says and Nile thinks that she might have panicked, even a few days ago, that he would never have said it because he wouldn’t want to push her– 

Except that’s exactly how she’s looking at him, isn’t she? It’s how she’s been looking at him for _years_ and now, when his eyes roam over her again, heavy as a physical touch, she doesn’t know how he’s been able to stand it. 

“What if I do?” Nile says in a voice much steadier than she feels. She picks up her own drink, takes a sip. 

“I would not say no.” 

Nile smirks. “Of course not,” she replies and she’s gratified at the red of his cheeks. “You’d beg me for it, wouldn’t you?” 

Okay, maybe she’s going too far, except as the words tumble out of her mouth, she sees the way his fingers tighten on his glass, the way his pupils dilate. Oh God, he wants that, and she’s desperate for it, too. 

“I see why you might be in some trouble,” Booker says after a moment, a beat too long, and Nile drops her eyes to her drink. 

“I can be a handful,” she admits. “But it’s never really been a problem.” 

“Until now?” 

“Until now.” 

They stare at each other again and Nile wants to touch him but also she knows if she does, she won’t stop. She sighs, and swallows the rest of her drink before she stands. 

“I’m leaving.” 

Booker’s face falls. “If I–” 

“You’re coming with me.” 

He nods, immediately, and throws back the rest of his drink before he stands too. He follows her out of the bar and they walk side by side back to the apartment. Nile is careful to not even let their hands brush. She feels like she’s on fire, like every nerve is alight, and she’s running through what she wants to do to him in her head. 

Booker’s the one who unlocks the door, flicks the light on and Nile closes it behind her. The tension between them is still thrumming, is still something she feels like she could reach out and touch. 

For a moment, they stare at each other. Nile knows she could end this now, here, but she thinks that wouldn’t be fair on either of them. 

Besides, she doesn’t _want_ to. 

She drops her purse on the floor and crosses to him in two strides, pulls his face toward hers and kisses him deeply. He melts into it, into her, hands coming to rest on her waist. She darts her tongue out to lick his lips and he opens his mouth; he moans when she slides her tongue alongside his. 

As far as first kisses go, it’s probably the best she’s had in her life. 

They part for a moment, to smile at each other, and then Nile’s curling her fingers into his hair as he kisses her again, as his arms go around her back. She tugs on the strands and he pulls back with a frown. 

“Too much?” 

“No,” he says, almost a whisper. “It’s just…” 

She feels him lift her top and pull out the knife. Nile lets go of him and looks at it. “Oh. I, uh… I knew it was you, I just–” 

Booker starts laughing. Nile rolls her eyes and he gathers himself enough to drop the knife on the couch. “You always surprise me, mon coeur.” 

“Yes, well, you’d be more annoyed if I kept walking into danger.” 

He tugs her back in and she goes, loops her arms around his neck. It feels so natural to stand like this, his arms under her top, splayed across her back. It’s like they’ve been here the whole time, even if they’ve not. 

“Obviously,” he says, and presses his lips to hers, once. “I thought tonight would be a fun distraction for you. If you do not want to–” 

Nile pulls on the hair at the nape of his neck – he’s let it grow out a little longer than he usually does and she thinks it really suits him – and he falls immediately silent. They’re pressed together and Nile doesn’t know how on earth he can think she wouldn’t want this. 

“If I don’t want to, then I won’t,” she says, injecting just the tiniest amount of steel into her voice on instinct. It’s enough; Booker nods and bites his lip. “But I think we both know that there’s an awful lot I’d like to do to you, Book. If you want?” 

“Yes,” he says, almost breathless, and Nile grins before she kisses him again. He’s gone all malleable under her hands and though she’s had the odd lover who’s liked her to take charge, it’s never been anything like this. When she pulls his hair again, he moans into her mouth, and Nile tucks that information away for later. 

She bites his lip before she pulls back, and then she takes one of his hands, tugs him forward. “Come on,” she says. 

He follows, just like she knew he would. 

Nile doesn’t turn the light on in her room. Instead, she pushes him up against the door and kisses him again. He holds her almost tentatively but she’s not that restrained; she strokes over the breadth of his shoulders, runs her hands down his arms until she reaches his wrists. When she moves his hands to her ass, he pulls back to chuckle. 

“You aren’t shy about what you want, huh?” 

“Did you think I would be?” 

Booker lets out a strangled noise. “I have tried not to…” 

Nile gets it. She’s tried not to think about it either. It doesn’t mean she hasn’t. “But you have.” 

He nods, lips pressed firmly together. Nile smiles and kisses along his jaw. When she gets to his ear, she sucks on his earlobe before she says, “Tell me.” 

For a moment, she can’t hear anything but the harsh pull of his breath and the sound of her lips against his skin in the darkness. 

Then… 

“I thought about it after the fair, when you went with Joe,” he says. 

“Oh?” 

“Your dress was…” He trails off and Nile bites him. Not too hard, but it’s enough to make him yelp, make his hips startle forward. “I wanted to peel it off you. Hearing you two all day–” 

Nile snorts. “You know it was fake.” 

“I know,” Booker replies because that’s not even a question. “I just wanted to be the one in there with you.” 

Nile hums. She gets one hand under Booker’s t-shirt, rakes her nails down his stomach and his gasp, the way his head thunks back against the door, tell her that he likes that, too. “So, you’ve peeled my dress off, in this scenario…” 

Booker clears his throat. “You had a romantic day,” he says. 

“Yes?” 

“I did not wish to be so romantic.” 

_Oh_ , well that’s a pleasant surprise. Booker is always so gentle with her – well, not always, but the soft undercurrent is present, which she thinks is part of what’s held her back for so long. She likes this effect she has on him, likes that he’ll listen to her and appreciate her, but the little reminder that he has enough spine to match her, that he will voice his own desires, well… It’s hot. 

“You mean you wanted to fuck me into the mattress?” 

Booker chuckles darkly. “In my mind, we did not make it to the bed.” 

She squeezes his cock through his pants at the same time as she kisses him and he gasps into her mouth. His fingers tighten on her ass, pulling her closer and as much as Nile wants to hear every dirty thing he’s ever even considered doing to her, she really needs to fuck him now. 

She’s tugging at his jeans before she even thinks about it, but he’s working on her shorts too and he’s quicker; he slides his hand into her panties and Nile lets out a sigh. Booker sees his opening. He turns them, so she’s the one pressed back against the door, and as he slides a finger inside her, he kisses her again. 

He’s gentle about this, testing the waters as he slides his finger out and back, circles her clit a couple of times before thrusting back in. Nile pulls back from the kiss and he’s got his other arm resting against the door next to her head. She feels boxed in by him, surrounded by him, and it’s not an unpleasant feeling at all. 

She pulls at his pants again but he shakes his head. “Let me,” he says and his voice has gone rough. Nile nods and reaches for him instead, kissing him again as he slides his finger – and then two – in and out of her over and over again. She’s rocking against him too, and she wants him naked and inside her but this is what she _needs_. 

“You’re gonna take me to bed after this,” she murmurs as she noses at his jaw. 

“And what do you want me to do with you then?” he asks. It’s difficult to make out his face in the dark of the room and when he presses his fingers in deep, she gasps. 

“Fuck me,” she says. “However you want.” 

He chuckles and kisses her. He grinds the heel of his hand against her clit and it’s almost too much but she’s still pushing against him anyway. She wants everything and everything he can give her and she thinks he feels the same way. 

“Nice and slowly,” he says and follows it up by thrusting his fingers in sharp and fast. She squirms and moans; fuck, she can feel her orgasm building and she clings to him as her legs shake. 

“Yes, Booker,” she says and she’s not sure if she means for him to keep up what he’s doing or that she agrees with what he said before. “Oh I’m so close, baby, please…” 

He kisses her again, like he can’t help himself, and when he thrusts in again, Nile comes, digging her fingers in so hard she’s sure she’s bruised him. He frees his hand and kisses her cheek, down her jaw, and Nile turns her head when she’s caught her breath so she can capture his mouth. 

She’s lost some of her urgency, floating nicely – because, fuck, he’s good at that – but when she tilts her hips forward, she can feel how hard he is. 

“So, did you make up your mind?” 

“Hmm?” 

Nile squeezes his cock. “What did you want to do, Booker? Because I’m not sure nice and slow is gonna work for you right now.” 

“You may be right,” he says breathlessly. “Surprise me, ma chérie.” 

Nile rolls her eyes – because she’s pretty sure he can’t see her – and pushes him back toward the bed. He reaches for the hem of his t-shirt but she pushes him again, a little more firmly, and he tumbles back with a laugh, apparently happy to go with whatever she’s got planned. 

What she’s got in her head is simple: she really, really wants to fuck him. And she doesn’t think either of them will wake in the morning regretting this but she also knows better than to act like anything is a certainty, especially when it comes to this. 

So, she tugs off her shorts and panties, kicking them over her wedges, and then pulls his jeans down to his thighs. 

Booker lifts his head. “Nile?” 

“We have literally so much time, Book. Do you really want to wait around for this?” She straddles his lap and he lets out a strangled noise, but lifts a hand to stroke her thigh. 

“No, but there is no rush.” 

“It’s not rushing,” she says, and leans down to kiss him. “We’ve taken a long time about this already, y’know. We’ve earned this.” 

She rubs herself against the bulge in his briefs and he groans, dropping his head to the bedspread again. Nile laughs, because she can, and then lifts up onto her knees, reaching for his cock. He’s got a damp patch on his briefs and Nile slides her hand along him; knowing he was that wet for her, that he’s already hard in her hand… it does something to her, so she leans down to kiss him again. She’s barely holding onto him at this angle and he groans. 

“Nile, please…” 

“I know, I know,” she says. She positions herself over him and bites her lip as she lowers herself down. He’s gripping her hips and she can hear the heavy sound of his breath; she rocks back and forth to take more of him and he groans. 

She’s seen him naked before – just a by-product of them all living in each other’s pockets is that she’s seen all of them naked, at some point – but never hard, never as someone she can reach out and touch. She wonders, distantly, how the others get any work done at all but then, she supposes the overwhelm of it all will wear off in time. 

He strokes his fingers over her thighs, her hips, and she groans at the full feeling of him, inside her, when she’s fully-seated. She clenches experimentally and Booker moans again, then another time when Nile slides her hand up under his t-shirt. 

“Fuck, you already feel good,” Nile says and Booker chuckles. 

“Move, mon coeur. It will feel even better.” 

She snorts but does as she’s told, riding him slowly. He feels so big inside of her, and it’s not long before he’s lifting his hips to meet her every thrust. Nile grabs one of his hands and slides it up under her top; he gets the hint and squeezes her breast in time with her thrusts. She loves his hands on her, loves the way he feels so much like he belongs, that every touch says he wants her just as much as she wants him. 

“Nile, I–” Booker says and Nile doesn’t know what he wants but she doesn’t care. 

“Yes, yes.” 

He rolls them over, kissing her, and fuck, maybe she should have removed his pants but he doesn’t seem to care as he pins her to the bed. He kisses down her throat and Nile wraps her legs around his waist as he fucks her. He’s got the fingers of one hand entangled with hers, pressing it back against the bed, and he’s rubbing her clit with the thumb of the other, making Nile arch up against him. 

“Booker, fuck, if you make me come before you…” 

He bites her jaw. “You’ll what?” 

“Fuck if I know.” She throws out the first thing that comes to mind. “Edge you for a week?” 

Booker honest to God _growls_ at that, thrusting in deep enough that Nile lets out a surprised yelp. He lifts his head but she shakes hers, laughing, a laugh that turns into a moan when he slides his thumb over her clit again. 

She strokes her fingers through his hair. “You like that idea, hm?” 

For a moment, when he looks at her, and she can make out his eyes in the darkness, he looks… concerned. Like she might throw him out of bed, even though she suggested it. So, she rocks her hips against him, lets her eyes flutter closed when he slides in _just right._

“Yes,” he says. “I do.” 

“Good, then we might try it anyway.” She pulls his hair and he gasps. He’s rubbing her clit faster, his thrusts losing some of their coordination and Nile knows he’s close. 

She wonders if he can come again tonight and thinks, with their healing powers, he probably can. Which is good, because she’s quite interested in seeing how slow he can be, how much he can control himself before either of them come. 

“You gonna come for me, baby?” she asks and tugs on his hair again. Booker makes a helpless noise in the back of his throat. 

“Yes,” he says. 

Nile rocks down against him, then shifts her leg. He lifts up as she bends it to rest on his shoulder and at this angle, he’s a little further away but even with his pants on, he’s got more leverage to thrust in deep. 

Which he does. Nile moans, back arching, and Booker pushes up her top, thumbing one nipple as Nile rubs her clit. 

“I’m close too,” she says, still thrusting back against him and Booker groans, moving a little faster. “Fucking come in me, Book, come on. I wanna feel you…” 

That seems to do it. Booker gasps sharply and thrusts in hard before he comes; Nile moans, closing her eyes as she rubs her clit, and then his fingers are there too and she comes with his cock still deep in her, one hand holding her leg in tight as he keeps rubbing her. 

It’s definitely too much when she comes back down – though she’s tempted to let him keep going, to writhe on his cock and see how quickly he gets hard again, if he can fuck her to another orgasm – and she pushes his hand away. Booker pulls out and collapses onto the bed beside her. They’re still both mostly dressed, absolute messes, but Nile doesn’t much care. 

Instead, she turns to Booker and kisses him thoroughly. He still melts underneath her, and she can’t wait to fully explore every aspect of that. 

“I can’t believe we waited this long,” she says and he’s watching her mouth, she can see that. 

“Everything has its time,” he replies. “Ours just took longer than most people’s does.” 

She snuggles into his side as she hums her agreement. “Guess we’ll have to make up for it,” she says. 

He reaches down to squeeze her ass and Nile sits up, laughing. “Oh, we certainly will, ma chérie.” 


End file.
